Omega-3 EPA/DHA Oils with Distinct Purity Criteria
The GOED Voluntary Monograph provides the quality requirements to which members should adhere when they produce and/or market triglyceride oils, ethyl ester concentrates and re-esterified triglycerides. There are other omega-3 EPA/DHA oils that do not fall within the scope of the GOED Monograph, and for which GOED is developing specific quality guidance, to which members need to adhere to be in good standing.
The first oil in this category of oils is calanus oil (see the Technical Guidance Document for calanus oil below). Further technical guidance documents will be developed for additional oil types that have their own unique quality aspects.
Reasons for the listing of specific oil types as Omega-3 EPA/DHA Oils with Distinct Quality Criteria include one or more of the following:
- Oil-specific contaminant maximum levels are different from those achievable in triglyceride and ethyl ester oils.
- The chemical composition is distinct from triglycerides or ethyl esters, requiring their own unique description and unique methods to verify quality.
- These oils are relatively small commodities in volume — or have one or few suppliers — so do not merit the development their own GOED Monograph at this time. At some point in the future a new monograph that combines these and other similar oils may be developed.